As 2010 begins, many are wondering how last year’s Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus for disaffected Anglicans, will play out, particularly in the U.S. While observers do not expect many in the U.S. Episcopal Church to take advantage of the Vatican’s offer, it is expected that members of the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) will accept the Holy Father’s invitation.

The Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) includes approximately 400,000 Anglicans worldwide. The American province of the TAC, known as the Anglican Church in America (ACA) includes approximately 5,200 communicants in four territorial dioceses. Over the next few months, all of the provinces will be holding synods to put forward the question of how they will be responding to the Apostolic Constitution.

Since the 1980 Pastoral Provision just over 100 U.S. Anglican clergy have gone through the process to become Catholic priests, including the most recent - Father John Lipscomb, former Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of Southwest Florida, who was ordained a Catholic priest in the Diocese of St. Petersburg on December 3, 2009. According to Monsignor D. Hamilton, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Lindenhurst, NY, of the total who have taken advantage of the Pastoral Provision since 1980, approximately 15 have died, and another 15 have retired.

“The expectation is that our General Synod will accept the Holy Father’s offer,” said Christian Campbell, Senior Warden of the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Orlando and a member of the Standing Committee of the Anglican Church in America’s Diocese of the Eastern United States. “It is not so much a question of whether or not we desire to avail ourselves of the offer – inasmuch as it is a direct and generous response to our appeal to the Holy See. The question now is how the Apostolic Constitution is to be implemented. We have practical concerns and we are presently working with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to resolve any outstanding questions.”

Campbell said that the first TAC provinces will be entering the Catholic Church within the next six months.

Campbell, as blogger at The Anglo-Catholic, said that they’re starting to see another interesting phenomenon taking place. He’s being contacted by individual Anglicans, Catholics, Evangelicals and Protestants wondering how they might get in on the offer.

“We’re beginning to see a tremendous groundswell of interest in Anglicanorum Coetibus from individuals of diverse backgrounds. Many Anglicans who have reconciled with the Church as individuals are still attached to our rich Anglican heritage. Quite a few “ordinary” Roman Catholics disaffected with the poor liturgical praxis in their parishes are searching for a more traditional liturgical expression—full of reverence and a sense of the sacred. And perhaps most surprisingly, many Protestant and Evangelical Christians see in the Apostolic Constitution an opportunity to come into a relationship with the Catholic Church,” said Campbell. “Over the past month, I’ve been contacted by several people each day who are asking how they can join an Anglican group to get in on this. This may be an opportunity to reconcile not just a peculiar breed of Anglo-Catholics, but a means of healing the larger wounds of the Protestant Reformation.”

The expectation is that large numbers of Anglicans will be coming into the Church, particularly in Britain, Africa, and India.

“Many Catholics frustrated with the poor liturgical praxis” is probably the biggest thing driving Catholics out of the church or a lack of attendance. I once mentioned that Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector of England did not do as good a job of mangling a church with his iconoclastic methods as Vatican II. Not only was it allowed too be interpreted by one and all but American Bishops felt free to interpret it as they felt that day. It went to “service"rather than a Mass, allowing some of the most debasing music “whether Michael got to the opposite shore or Cumbaya, whatever that means. Never received a translation of that. Palestrina,Praetorius, Mozart, etc were out as they were tooooo old or did not fit in with Vatican II. What the XXXX did. Jesuits have the finest minds in the world but they are not composers. I was taught at a Jesuit University. As a child the church organist had a Doctorate in Music. I would like to really find out if anyone out there presently has one and where their church is located. I was shocked recently to learn that Catholic priests do not know latin or have no liturgical Music education at the seminary level.At our local prep school in High school, students took four years of latin and two years of GREEK. That surely weeded out the dummies. Oh well. I’m beginning to rant but I do feel better after that.Gee maybe we might hear a real sermon not a “homily”

Posted by Bruce in Iloilo on Friday, Jan, 15, 2010 5:50 PM (EDT):

Some resources for people that want more information or to network with potential members of any future Anglican Ordinariate:

The ten-year old and very active Anglican Use Yahoo Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AnglicanUse/

The Anglican Use Society which is hosting its annual conference in June in Newark
http://anglicanuse.org/

A forum for those looking to form local groups:
http://www.theanglocatholic.com/forum/index.php

Finally a round-up of Anglican Use news can be found at:
http://anglicanusenews.blogspot.com/

Posted by AMPisAnglican on Thursday, Jan, 14, 2010 5:10 PM (EDT):

This is also happening in Canada. I am looking for other people who are also interested in this in the area of Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada. Hopefully, with enough people, we will be able to start a new Anglican Catholic Congregation for the Anglican Catholic Church of Canada. Anyone interested can contact the Anglican Catholic Church of Canada through their website:
http://www.anglicancatholic.ca/

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Tim Drake is an award-winning writer and former journalist and radio host with the National Catholic Register/EWTN. He currently serves as New Evangelization Coordinator for the Holdingford Area Catholic Community in the Diocese of St. Cloud, Minnesota. He resides with his wife and five children in St. Joseph, Minn.